Ottawa Hills High School alumni Pete and Amy (Robbins) Kadens (’96, ’99) have announced their plans to donate $500,000 to the Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation over the next five years. Their generosity to the Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation is the largest gift to date for the Foundation.

The Kadens family firmly believes in philanthropy and they have donated generously to organizations that aid the homeless and underserved over the last decade in their current hometown of Chicago. Pete is the longtime Chairman of the Board of Streetwise, one of the largest homeless aid agencies in the Midwest. In 2011, Amy founded Share Our Spare, an organization dedicated to fulfilling the needs of low-income families in Chicago by collecting and distributing new and gently-used baby and toddler items.

“Amy and I wish to donate to the Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation as a way to give back to our former community in recognition of the influence the schools had in helping us become who we are today,” Pete Kadens said. “We want our donation to benefit the whole student - mind, body and spirit. We are incredibly indebted to the teachers, coaches and community members in Ottawa Hills and we feel that this is a great way to repay this debt of gratitude.”

The Kadens’ donation will have an immediate impact on Ottawa Hills students at every age by opening opportunities and providing new resources that otherwise would not be possible through the district’s normal operating budget. The donation will help provide:

Construction of a much-needed fitness center at the Junior/Senior High School. This fitness center will include cardio equipment, weight training areas, open areas for floor exercises, yoga space and more. The fitness center will support health and physical education curricula, be available to all students and staff, be monitored by trained wellness personnel, and benefit our theater program by giving them back much-needed storage space beside the auditorium stage that has been serving as the schools’ only weight room area.

Establishment of a unique fund, which will be used to host national and local authors, scholars, speakers and other experts who will present forums, lectures, interactive dialogue and educational opportunities to impact student growth in learning, leadership, philanthropy, health and wellness, and more. These visiting experts will bring the world to our northwest Ohio students at both the elementary and junior/senior high schools.

“The Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation stands with the Kadens Family in their belief that providing students with life-changing experiences while they are at an impressionable age will help them achieve their potential, instill self-confidence, spark a desire to work hard throughout life, and encourage them to give back to their community when the time is right,” said Ottawa Hills Schools Foundation Executive Director Erica Silk. “The Foundation is incredibly grateful for the Kadens’ generosity.”